Kris Moutinho revealed he almost ended his life after his UFC debut went sideways in 2021.
Moutinho, 32, signed with the UFC on short notice that year, stepping in for Louis Smolka against rising star Sean O’Malley. He lost the fight decisively, absorbing heavy punishment, but survived all three rounds. His heart earned him a $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus—well above the usual $50,000.
After his war with O’Malley, Moutinho got another shot. But his second outing ended in a first-round TKO loss to Guido Cannetti. Soon after, the UFC let him go.
That’s when things got really dark for the tough bantamweight.
“I went through a really bad time with relationships, with everything else in my life, and I was just a mess,” Moutinho said during UFC Atlanta media day. “I was very close to ending this thing, ending it all and being done, and I don’t want to talk too much about it, but it was a bad time. One of the worst times in my life.
“I found the girl I’m with now, my beautiful girlfriend. She saved me. Saved my life. Helped me find God a lot better, and I’m just in a better place.”
After resetting mentally, Kris Moutinho got back to work on the regional circuit. Since leaving the Octagon, he has won five straight MMA fights. The win streak caught UFC matchmakers’ attention and earned him a second chance.
Now, he’s set to return to the UFC this Saturday in Atlanta. His opponent: Malcolm Wellmaker.
“I feel like I’m where God put me, where I’m supposed to be,” Moutinho said. “I feel like this is the guy that should have been here in 2021. The guy that is mentally focused, enjoys this stuff again.
“[Back] then, I was just going through the motions. I was happy to be here, but I was kind of just happy to be here. I’m not that guy no more. I don’t care. I’m coming to kill. I’m coming to knock him out. He has to kill me to get me out of there.”
No matter how his UFC return goes, it’s clear Kris Moutinho is in a better place—and determined to leave a real mark this time.
While he once fought just to entertain, Moutinho is coming back with a more complete game and a clear purpose. That shift, he believes, will show in the Octagon.
“This sport in the 12, 13 years I’ve been doing it—it’s taken a lot from me,” he said. “I care less, I guess, about this sport and less about what I’m doing, and that’s somehow freed me to enjoy it more when I am in there, when I am training, and when I am fighting.
“I got back to what I did when I started this stuff—mixing the game. I got a little too punch crazy. I wanted to throw punches, get hit by punches, and I enjoyed it a little too much. Didn’t pan out well when I was here the last time. I’m just opening my game up a little bit, worked on the flaws I had last time, and I’m just a more complete fighter now.”
In many ways, his return mirrors his debut. Once again, he’s stepping in on short notice to face a dangerous, undefeated prospect.
“It’s a little bit déjà vu,” Moutinho said. “It’s pretty much the same thing that happened last time. I’m fighting a tall, lanky, good striker on nine days’ notice. It feels pretty similar.
“I’m a different person than I was then. I’m a lot older, a lot more at peace with myself and where I’m at in life. Hopefully it’s going to be a better show.”
Moutinho respects his opponent’s skill set, but he’s not backing down.
“I think Malcolm’s a great fighter. He’s 9-0 for a reason. He’s a powerful guy, has power in both hands. He looks to counter a lot.
“He might change. He could do something completely different this time, but again, a lot of his fights, he counters and looks for the big hooks. He can wrestle, he can grapple, he can do everything. I expect what I do very well is put pressure, control the pace of the fight, and use my wrestling here and there and do what I’m supposed to do.”
Focused and hungry, Kris Moutinho isn’t taking his second shot at the UFC lightly. He may have stumbled in the past, but he plans to make this return count.
“You’re in my way and I have to put you down, and that’s the only way it’s going to be,” Moutinho said. “I’ve been saying this to myself: I am inevitable. My time is inevitable. I’m here for a reason. I got back for a reason. There’s no stopping me.”
